The Wasted Times

A violent war movie I would not have watched if not for Wallace Chung. He appeared for maybe 10 seconds in the movie, yet by then, I had already gotten intrigued by the unusual story and characters, I could not stop watching.

It's an interesting look at Chinese and Japanese relations in Japanese-occupied Shanghai in WWII.

There is not a shot out of place, not a word uttered or note of music that is not just right in this film. I admit I had to watch it twice to get all the nuances. You must listen for when they are speaking Shanghainese or Japanese and you must understand a bit about what was happening in china and shanghai in 1937. There are family ties, triad ties, Japanese secret society ties and love ties. There is betrayal of all these ties. Jumping back and forth in time makes the plot unravel slowly and like a game of mah-jong the final betrayal is revealed when all the tiles are exposed at the end. This is a great movie. It does not have any kung-fu or wire-work or epic slow motion gunfights and white doves - but it is a truly original masterpiece. I recommend it to anyone who wants to see a thoughtful movie and be challenged by what a great piece of cinema is.

THIS MOVIE WAS HARD TO KEEP UP WITH IT KEPT SWITCHING BACK ALL OVER THE PLACE I GOT THAT THEY BROKE IT DOWN AND ALMOST LIKE PLAY LIKE INTENTIONS WHICH IS COOL BUT IT'S HARD IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND PLAYS AND THAT'S WHAT THIS SEEMED LIKE I GOT IT AFTER IT STARTED GOING THROUGH EVERYTHING BUT IT'LL LOSE SOMEBODY'S ATTENTION AND YOU WANT TO KEEP THE VIEWERS ATTENTION IF I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE WAY THE WRITER DID THIS I WOULD HAVE NOT WATCHED IT ANYMORE AND IT WOULD HAVE GOT A LOWER SCORE I LOVE ALL THE ACTORS AND ACTRESSES IN IT I LOVE WATCHING ASIAN MOVIES AND I DEFINITELY LIKE HISTORICAL ONES SO THAT'S WHY IT GOT THE STARS IT DID.

Directors and titles spoil good stories. Good stories are torn apart. Every story changes when it is clear. On the contrary, many irrelevant details are left behind, such as the first two jokes before the shooting, and what is the relationship between the theme of the story? Poor audiences who go to the cinema to give their heads off

This is one of the best gangster movies I've ever seen. It's streaming on Amazon and I've watched it twice, and I'll watch it again. I'll buy it. Complex, beautiful, horrific, and unforgettable. Everything about The Wasted Times is great. This film deserves far more interest and a much higher rating.